Reverse Domain Hijacking

Definition - What does Reverse Domain Hijacking mean?

Reverse domain hijacking refers to a specific kind of aggressive action to acquire a specific domain name on the Web. It is often defined and described by lawyers in contests over a particular domain in a type of legal battle that has become common and rather complicated.

Techopedia explains Reverse Domain Hijacking

In a case of reverse domain hijacking, attorneys will argue that a party, usually a trademark holder, has made false cybersquatting claims against the legitimate owner of a domain. This includes various kinds of intimidation related to trademark litigation, where a person who legitimately owns a domain may be wrongly pressured into selling it to another party. This corresponds to a very similar kind of practice called domain hijacking. In simple domain hijacking, the tables are turned, and it is not trademark holders who are found to be at fault, but those who have bought up domain names related to a trademark with the intention of putting pressure on a trademark holder. Reverse domain hijacking can also involve false changes to a domain registration.

The use of domain hijacking and reverse domain hijacking litigation has brought a number of types of cases to the forefront of the field of IT law. It has led to close observation of trends in domain ownership, domain purchase, and copyright or trademark law as applied to the Internet.